I’ve been wanting to redecorate our living room for ages. Since before Christmas in fact. We’ve been buying bits here and there, wall art, paint, cushions. But, as with many other plans, we just never found the time or the money to get the project off the ground. There always seemed to be something else that needed to be done first
It’s been getting to me, the state of our living room. It was getting to a point where I didn’t even enjoy spending time in that room. Dramatic, I know, but I’m dramatic about most things!
Lets rewind a couple of years, back to when we first moved in to the house. The people living in the property before us decided a ghastly dark red was a great colour for the living room walls. I’m afraid I disagreed with their choice of decor. Coupled with an old floral sofa which looked like it was just visiting us from the 80’s, the room didn’t feel very homely at all. This was at a time when we’d just relocated from England to Northern Ireland, and money was tight, so there wasn’t much of a budget for decorating. We managed to get some cheap paint from the car boot sale, in neutral and brown tones, and we did what we could to make the room feel more homely.
The room stayed that way until a couple of years ago, when we decided on a full revamp. The room had obviously been done quickly and on a tight budget, and it just wasn’t to our taste. In autumn of 2014 we decided to change the furniture, get new sofas and completely change the room.
After many hours on pinterest, I decided on a hunting lodge style living room. We painted the walls a chocolate colour, and added in some tartan and a lot of stag related accessories. I loved it, it felt so cosy at the time. I loved closing the curtains at night, turning on the lamps and sitting by the fire.
In the last six months my opinions about the room changed. What once felt warm and cosy now felt dark and despairing. I started to look at the walls I wonder what the hell I was thinking. Dark brown on the walls, really?! I still don’t know why I thought that was a good idea. As you can probably see from the photo above, it’s just a lot of random shades of brown. Even with the curtains open and the lights on, the room was still very dark. Not the best of environments for a blogger to be taking photos in, I can tell you!
And so, this week we’ve redecorated the whole thing. I’ve always been a sucker for monochrome, but my husband has never really been keen. Over the last few years I’ve managed to let it creep in to different rooms, before finally managing to convince him that we needed it in the living room. Again I turned to pinterest, looking for inspiration. My pinterest board mirrors my ideas, which you can see here.
So like I said, we’ve been picking up bits here and there. We got a couple of black and white cushions from TK Maxx, and some wall art from Very. We were waiting until we could find a rug and some curtains to finish the look, which arrived last week.
On Monday while I was at work, my husband moved all of the furniture to the centre of the room and started to paint over the dreaded brown paint. I wasn’t expecting much progress, so imagine my surprise when I arrived home in the evening to a brand new living room!
We didn’t have money in the budget to replace the sofa and chair, as much as I would love a new grey sofa! I was worried about how the brown sofa would fit in, but I think it looks great. The cushions make the sofa like a new piece of furniture! Initially I had planned on going for a full black and white look, but I think the addition of the grey rug and curtains works really well. When you throw in the pug cushion and the wall canvases, I’m really impressed with how it turned out.
It’s not quite finished, I would like some new prints for the wall and I have some photo frames which I’m going to revamp so they fit in with the theme. Do check back in a few weeks when I can give you an update! I love it so far though, it feels like a new house. The whole thing probably cost us less than £200, which I’m really happy about. And hey, now our monochrome cats look like part of the furnishings…
What do you think of our living room makeover? I’d love your thoughts in the comments!
47 Comments
Oh my gosh it looks so much different – the white walls looks so much better. You have done a great job! I especially love your cloud picture. #homeetc
Thanks. The white walls really do make so much of a difference, don’t they?
LOVE it. It’s like a completely new room wow! Absolutely loving the pug too. Good choice!
Thanks! The pug is my favourite too, it’s no substitute for a real pug like bt I’m not allowed one 🙁
Oh wow! That looks great. It looks so much brighter.
We had brown walls in our old house and it was great to start with but we soon got sick.
I love the pug cushion x
Kim Carberry recently posted…HARIBO Starmix – Join Your Team.
Ha just like me then, I loved my brown walls but it didn’t last long x
It’s funny how our tastes change over time isn’t it – I look back on some of my former decorating choices and cringe! Your room looks much brighter now, I think painting over the brown was a good choice 🙂 I can recommend Desenio (.co.uk) for prints, they have lots of monochrome ones that would fit in this room nicely (I don’t work for them! But I got some prints from them and will be writing about them on my blog soon – I just think they have a great range!) Well done on your room makeover #HomeEtc
Molly recently posted…How to Achieve the Boho Chic Look in your Living Room
Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll take a look. I definitely do think getting rid of the brown was the best choice!
I love it, what a difference! A fresh coat of paint can work wonders, and the chevron cushions look fantastic. #HomeEtc
Suzanne recently posted…Our Lounge Reveal
Thanks, it really does make so much difference to the house.
oh I love the dog cushion lauren! Lovely post! Scrolled down to this on FB and had to take a look!
Angela Milnes recently posted…Yoda Casper and the Dog Groomers
Oh it looks so lovely! The cat looks happy to 🙂 x
Donna recently posted…BIC Kids Colouring Activity Kit Review and Giveaway!
Thanks Donna, I’m a little bit in love with it. I’m sure the cat is quite happy, she’s sitting in my seat!x
What a make over, love it ! The room looks so much bigger and brighter now . The cat fits right in xx
Newcastle Family Life recently posted…Encouraging School Children To Get More Active
It looks great – I agree the couch does suit the room. It is amazing what a difference a change in wall colour can make and all your new accessories make it look really cosy and stylish. The after pictures make it look so much bigger. I think it is going above and beyond to decorate a room to co-ordinate with the cat though ha! x #HomeEtc
WOW it looks awesome! I love the cushions
RachelSwirl recently posted…Workplace & Adult Bullying – My Experience
WOW. What a change!!!! It looks like a totally, completely different room!!! 🙂 I am totally with you when you say that you didn’t want to spend time in the room, cos you’d outgrown it — I don’t think that’s dramatic at all! I’m just the same when it comes to my home 🙂 Thanks for linking up, Caro xx #HomeEtc
Caro | The Twinkle Diaries recently posted…The Tiger Who Came To Tea and Frugi Bedding
It looks so much fresher I bet you are thrilled with it, and yes the sofa does go well, the cushions just pull it all together. I love white and am working through our home, we are very nearly there but white and kids !! so we do have to do a lot of touching up ha ha x
Sarah christie recently posted…Chilling Out with Nespresso Coffee and Cocktails
Very nice!! I like how it looks with white walls! Our living room has dark walls too now and I would love to try to have brighter colours but my husband thinks white walls will feel like a hospital 🙁 but I will convince him one day! 🙂
Great job on making the room look so nice and fresh!!
Your cat is super cute, by the way!
Yosh recently posted…7 Toddler Meal / Baby Finger Food Ideas
Wow what a difference. I think the sofa colour works just fine too – I like a bit of colour mixing and you have some great accessories to tie it all in. #Home etc
What a difference the change in wall colour made for a start, but the new accessories are fab too. Wow it looks lovely!
Stevie x
A Cornish Mum recently posted…Monthly Bucket List – July 2016
Definitely an improvement – can’t go wrong with a bit if monochrome #KCACOLS
Oh wow it looks fab! I love the ‘every cloud as a silver lining’ print! #KCACOLS
The new paint color and the pillows make all the difference! It’s so refreshing to read a room makeover post that is actually relatable to us normal people who don’t have loads of money to throw at redecorating! A few small affordable changes and your space looks so different and so amazing. Love it! #KCACOLS
Looks great, I like the monochrome theme but with the grey and the brown to soften it all…it seems like a really lovely balance of stylish comfort. Ha, everyone needs a colour-coordinated pet surely!!? So nice to see what can be achieved on a small budget too. #KCACOLS
I think it looks great – amazing what a difference some new paint and cushions can do! #KCACOLS
Rebecca | AAUBlog recently posted…My Favourite Marble Accessories from Coconut Lane
haha love the colour coordinated cats! brilliant. the makeover looks fab and I love that wall art – the cloud one. we move tomorrow- argh! and I cant wait to decorate and re-accessorize all my rooms!! #KCACOLS
No room is complete without a colour coordinated cat, I tell you! Hope the move went well x
Looks great! Much brighter than before. We’ve just got a new sofa and redecorated our living room, we’re just waiting for a couple more bits of furniture and then I’ll be doing a blog post all about it 🙂 x #KCACOLS
Ooh I’m looking forward to the big reveal on your blog! I love a room tour x
It’s amazing what some paint and reorganising does! Looks fab hun! Love that rug #KCACOLS
Definitely, it’s made the world of difference! Thanks x
I know it’s what everyone always says, but it really does look bigger with the lighter walls! I love your cushion choices too. I’d love to totally redecorate our entire house – luckily for my other half, who hates my design taste, we’re renting so can’t really do much. x #KCACOLS
Jess Powell (Babi a Fi) recently posted…Look Cool This Summer with House of Fraser
Haha yes, but I guess people say that because it’s true, the room does definitely look bigger. Oh dear, why does your other half hate your tastes? Mine wasn’t too keen to begin but he’s warming to my interior choices as the years go on. We rent too but luckily our landlord is very laid back and is happy for us to decorate if we wish x
Love the pug pillow! So cute. I also like the grey curtains and how you tied them in with the chevron pillows. #KCACOLS
I think the pug cushion is my favourite too, it’s just the cutest!
That wall has made so much difference and the accessories now stand out and look stylish – LOVE this. What a superb space to relax and entertain in! Thanks for sharing 🙂 Jess xx
#HomeEtc
It really is amazing what a lick of paint can do!xx
Back again with #KCACOLS!
Thanks for popping back!
PS love your logo! #KCACOLS
Haha, thanks, that’s very kind to say!
Lauren it look great! Isn’t it just fantastic how a few new bits and bobs can totally transform a room. Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next Sunday.xx
Your living room makeover looks fantastic, what a transformation. I love all the little accessories and pictures on the wall.
What a difference, the room looks bigger and brighter now. It really shows how much paint can change the look of a room
#HomeEtc
Wow! Looks really good, so much lighter and makes the room look bigger. Well done! #KCACOLS
Cheryl @ Tea or Wine recently posted…5 Ways Kids Party Harder Than You
I think it looks great! It’s amazing what paint and accent pillows can do to change a room. It looks much brighter than the first picture. #KCACOLS